Overall, you are treated with respect as long as you perform way above standards or expectations: When you are asked to prepare ABC, they actually expect you to prepare A-Z back and forth. The only exception of the 'respect for the applicant policy' is the final technical interview.
First there's the 3 rounds of mathematical tests.
1. The first round consists of 50% fractions, combined with the beforehand announced subtractions, additions, multiplications, divisions and place changes.
2. The second round consists of numerical sequences. However, multiple sequences might be discovered, but only some are regarded as to be the 'correct' ones. Obviously, there is no room for discussion on which answer is right and which is wrong.
3. The final test is intended as to be a combination of the previous two. That is, every question requires some calculating, but also some logical thinking. You have to find out what they are looking for in each question. Also here, multiple answers are true, but only some are regarded to be 'correct'.
After the tests you immediately hear whether you may continue the process.
The second round is a telephone interview to test your motives. Easily prepared, but as always, prepare for the worst.
The third round takes place in-house. It contains multiple facets.
1. The first is a coffee chat with a superior (to be).
2. The second is an HR interview with the recruiter and a superior (to be).
3. The third is a desk shadowing session in which you may attend a session of about an hour with a trading employee. It is intended to let you experience what you will eventually be doing. However, as always, prepare for the worst. They will examine your prior knowledge of what you see on the screens on that point, (although you couldn't possibly prepare it).
4. The fourth and final round is the notorious technical interview. In this round you will be deterred regardless of your performances.
The kind smiling recruiter who has been around all along will be interchanged with two very grumpy seniors, unable to show any emotion at all. You will be taken out of your comfort zone rigorously and challenged to solve hard questions by heart. The difficult part however, is not so much to cope with the fact that you are not able to succeed in answering the increasingly hard questions. It lies in the psychological game they are playing of not giving you any information on your progress due to the absence of e.g. physical or even humming confirmation or disapproval of your answers. The absence of the intention to comfort anyone results in many 10+ second silences. Followed by increasingly hard questions.
The objective of this interview tactic may be clear, given the position. However, the effect is as effectively as mind-racking.
My personal point of incomprehension is that the game lingers on even after the conversation has ended, resulting in a dis-pleasant farewell. It may be noted that this procedure does apply to both those offered an offer and those rejected in the final round.